CAFe Speaker Series: “Turning the Power: Indian Boarding Schools, Native American Anthropologists, and the Race to Preserve Indigenous Cultures”
Date/Time: Wednesday, November 5, 2025 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Location: Virtual
UMD students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends—join us for the CAFe Speaker Series. (Registration Required)
Abstract:
Turning the Power follows the forced indoctrination of ten Native American students in the Indian Boarding Schools of their youth, and how they rebelled against federally sanctioned racist assimilation programs as adults. Though largely forgotten today, each of them “turned the power,” using their English knowledge and work experience in the anthropological field to embrace, document, and preserve their Native cultures rather than abandoning their heritage. In this work, Sowry restores identity and returns humanity to these ten individuals who spent their lives teaching others about their Indigenous cultures.
Bio:
Nathan Sowry is the Reference Archivist at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian, where he has worked since 2016. He regularly collaborates with Native and non-Native researchers, scholars, and community groups interested in utilizing archival collections and visiting their cultural heritage. Sowry received his BA in Anthropology and Religious Studies from the University of Pittsburgh, MA in History from Washington State University, MLIS in Archives and Records Management from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and PhD in History from American University.
Speaker(s): Nathan Sowry, Reference Archivist at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian